UE assisted system database update

ABSTRACT

A user equipment (UE) operating in a wireless system having at least one base station, communicates with base stations in neighboring wireless systems and conveys information regarding these neighboring wireless systems to the base station of its wireless system, which updates and stores this information for use in handover of UEs. The BS may also obtain updates directly from the base stations of neighboring wireless systems which may include a diversity of systems such as WLANS, Bluetooth, UMTS, GPRS, etc., and provide to UEs a list of those wireless systems which the UEs need not provide updates to the BS providing the list.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application No.60/392,211 filed on Jun. 28, 2002, which is incorporated by reference asif fully set forth.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to wireless communication systems. Inparticular, the invention relates to database processing of informationfor user equipment (UE) handover.

BACKGROUND

User equipment (UE) in wireless communication systems are beginning toprovide functionality for internet/public service telephone network(PSTN) access via multiple wireless systems (such as (WLANs), Bluetooth®a registered trademark for a wireless network, universal mobiletelecommunications system (UMTS), general packet radio service (GPRS),etc.). Hence, there is a growing need for these systems to work witheach other in order for a UE to handover from one technology to another.

To assist in a handover, a wireless communication system base stationcan relay to a UE the information pertaining to outside systems. Thus, abase station needs to retain and constantly update information about theother systems. Retrieval of the information about another system ispossible through secure inter-system connections (such as via anIP-cloud, for example) under roaming agreements. However, it is adeployment challenge to maintain and update such information about othersystems. Hence there is a need for an alternate source to assist thebase station in supplying the outside system information in order toeliminate the need for explicit inter-system connections andcommunications for this purpose.

SUMMARY

The present invention employs a technique for obtaining and updatingdata relating to neighboring wireless systems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram showing a plurality of wireless systemsand user equipments within the wireless systems, which may employ thetechnique and principles of the present invention to great advantage.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram useful in explaining the principles of thepresent invention and a method to implement such a system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a multimode UE 101 operating within a wireless system 102having an associated base station (BS) 102 b, while also being able todetect multiple surrounding wireless systems 103-105. Upon detection ofinformation from wireless systems 103-105, UE 101 sends the currentinformation to BS 102 b of system or systems 103-105. BS 102 b can thenupdate its database based on this new information from UE 101. Likewise,subsequent handovers of UE 101 to other base stations can provide basestation database updates. For example, after handover to wireless system103, UE 101 sends information pertaining to the most recently residentsystem (i.e., system 102), to base station(BS) 103 b, which then updatesits database accordingly.

FIG. 2 shows a process flow diagram for the exchange of informationbetween BS 102 b and UE 101. Although this process is shown with asingle UE for simplicity in explanation, multiple UEs may interact withBS 102 b at the same time. System information that is sent from a UE tothe BS and vice versa may include, but is not limited to: geo-locationof a UE, new system, congestion at the network and failure to detect anetwork.

At UE-S1, UE 101 obtains information relating to network 104, forexample. At step UE-S2, UE 101 transmits its identity to BS 102 b. Atstep BS-S1, BS 102 b receives the identify of UE 101. At BS-S2 BS 102first authenticates the identity of UE 101. This ensures that BS 102 bwill not accept information about other systems from malicious UEs.Next, at step UE-S2, responsive to the authentication, the informationis protectively encoded for integrity by UE 101 and, at step UE-S3, theprotected information is transmitted by UE 101 to BS 102 b. A preferredmethod of protective encoding is via message authentication codes.Encryption may also be used to protect the information from beingeavesdropped. At step BS-S3, BS 102 b verifies the integrity of theinformation. At step BS-S4, BS 102 b accepts the information and updatesits databases. Now that BS 102 b has updated its database, BS 102 b, atstep BS-S5, may communicate with adjacent systems 103-105 at regularintervals or triggered instants of time to validate the informationupdates received from UE 101. Corrections to the database, if needed aremade at step BS-S6.

System efficiency can be gained by BS 102 b taking a proactive role inletting UE 101 know of its surrounding systems, at step BS-S7. Hence, UE101 need not send any information if its resident system is on the listprovided by BS 102 b. This reduces radio traffic due to multiple UEssending similar information.

This database stored in each BS is used for cell re-planning and systemlayover during deployment of additional networks. For example, considera UMTS system overlaid over disjointed WLANs. The information gatheredat the UMTS base station is used for planning WLAN network in that area.System 102 gets geo-locations of different UEs as they communicate aboutother systems (say System 103). The operator can use the geo-location ofeach UE that reported about system 103 to approximate the coverage ofsystem 103. This approximate coverage area can be used to plug coverageholes or future deployment planning of system 103.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a wireless communication system having a basestation (BS) and at least one user equipment (UE), a method for updatinga system database that contains information pertaining to neighboringwireless systems of various types, the method comprising: the UEdetecting neighboring wireless systems of various types; the UE sendinginformation detected systems to the base station; the BS updating thesystem database information based on said information; and the basestation communicating with base stations of adjacent wireless systems atgiven intervals to validate the database information updates provided bythe UE.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: the base stationalerting the UE as to surrounding systems known by the base station forreducing traffic due to multiple UEs sending similar information.
 3. Themethod of claim 2 wherein the receiving UE limits reports on neighboringbase stations to those base stations that are not included in the alertreceived from its associated base station.
 4. The method of claim 1,where the base station processes the location of the UEs reportinginformation about neighboring wireless systems of various types toestimate coverage of the neighboring wireless systems.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, where the base station uses the estimated coverage of theneighboring wireless system to adjust operating parameters at the basestation.
 6. The method of claim 5, where the said operating parametersinclude at least one of transmitted power, beam shapes and admissioncontrol policy.
 7. The method of claim 4, where the base station usesestimated coverage for planning new cells.
 8. In a wirelesscommunication system having a base station (BS) and at least one UE, inwhich the UE can detect surrounding wireless systems of various types,for updating a system database that contains information pertaining tosurrounding wireless systems of various types, comprising: the BS havingmeans for authenticating an identity of the UE by the base station; theUE having means for protectively encoding the information transmitted tothe BS for information integrity using authentication codes; means forverifying information integrity at the base station and accepting theinformation at the base station; means for updating the system databaseinformation; and the base station having means for communicating withbase stations of surrounding wireless systems at given intervals tovalidate the database information updates provided by the UE.
 9. Thesystem of claim 8, further comprising: the base station having means foralerting the UE as to surrounding systems known by the base station forreducing traffic due to multiple UEs sending similar information. 10.The system of claim 9, wherein the receiving UE is provided with meanswhich limits reports on neighboring base stations to those base stationsthat are not included in the alert received from its associated basestation.